


Holding Hard (Holding Down Your Hole)

by orphan_account



Series: Holding Hard [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Banter, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, OT5 Friendship, well kinda, you'll understand once you've read it i feel like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:42:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9097930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Harry was supposed to already be here waiting for them, that’s what he’d said this morning before leaving for work. He’d kissed Louis long and tender, then breathlessly promised to finish what they’d started tonight, kissed him harder and then, right before backing out the door, told Louis he had something special planned for him tonight.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, this is something I had to get out of my head and I wasn't originally planning on ever publishing it, but I thought, hell, might as well. Who's it gonna hurt, right? (All my friends, that's who. All of them. But they love me regardless, so maybe you'll take a chance on me as well.)
> 
> Hail Satan! xx

_Just a bit longer Lou, I’m so sorry, got held back at work again. I almost quit, I would’ve, but – well, I’ll explain once I get there. Happy birthday darling!! Love you SO much xxx_

Louis rolls his eyes fondly. It’s so like Harry to be late; it’s sort of his Thing. It just sucks that it’s on Louis’ birthday, of all days. They’ve dated nine years, and on the eight previous birthdays, Harry was always on time, proudly so. 

“I’d never miss your birthday, dove”, he’d always say at Louis’ mockingly wide eyes, “And if that means quitting my job to ensure that, so be it.” 

If this was four years ago, Louis would be freaking out, wondering if Harry’d changed his mind. If maybe Louis wasn’t as important to him as his work. Now, having dated as long as they have, there’s no question his husband would run through a monsoon just to get to him. 

What’s an hour without Harry, when they’ve got the rest of the night – the rest of their _lives_ , really, because Louis will never let go of Harry. He’ll be Harry’s for as long as Harry will have him, and he’s been told, it’s about a lifetime and then some. So. 

It’s alright. Louis lets Harry know as much, uncharacteristically adding an _I love you more_ , because he’s feeling giddy. He can’t wait until Harry gets here and makes the night even more amazing than it already is. 

He’s at their favorite bar with Niall, Liam, and Zayn. They had drinks at Louis’ first, got ready together (the boys convinced Louis to wear the silky strap-on’s they got for him underneath his oversized sweater, because according to Niall, there’s _“Nothing more hilarious than watching Harry literally stop in his tracks to stare at you like he can’t believe you’re his to have, and then watch his dick fucking twitch in his pants before he surges forward to make out with you like you’re the only two in the room”_ , and when Zayn had added, _“It’s the same either way, really. He’s only got eyes for Lou”_ , Louis couldn’t exactly refuse, could he), and slowly made their way to the bar. 

Harry was supposed to already be here waiting for them, that’s what he’d said this morning before leaving for work. He’d kissed Louis long and tender, then breathlessly promised to finish what they’d started tonight, kissed him harder and then, right before backing out the door, told Louis he had something special planned for him tonight. 

So, there’s that to look forward to, as well. 

“Was it Haz?” Zayn asks softly as Louis slides onto his and Harry’s side of the booth. 

“Yeah. Said he’ll be here soon.” 

”You know guys”, Niall interrupts, holding his finger up. He burps loudly, grins, and continues, “I’m getting kind of tired hanging out at the same bar all the time.” 

“It’s my birthday”, Louis states, glaring at his best friend over the table. “Of all days to complain, you pick my _birthday_?” 

“To be fair”, Liam chimes in, “A change of scenery could do good for us. We’ve spent all your birthdays here, could be fun to try something new?” 

“Not all of them”, Louis points out, swirling the green straw in his glass. He usually goes for blue, but he usually has Harry here with him – and if the boys know he only picked the green one because it reminds him of Harry, then they’re wise enough not to point it out. “Remember what Haz did last year?” 

*** 

Spending Louis’ birthday just the two of them for the first time had been Harry’s idea. It hadn’t been all that hard to convince Louis, when Harry’d mumbled the suggestion into the warmth between his ass cheeks, but. Y’know. He could at least be waiting for Louis at the bar the minute he arrived, that’s the _least_ he could do. 

Okay, sure, it’s a fancy restaurant Harry couldn’t have afforded to take him out to even just two years prior, and yeah, okay, it’s one Louis’ been gushing about since it was opened a few months ago, and _alright_ , Louis is like, ten minutes early. Twenty. Okay, half an hour, but Harry’s supposed to know him well enough to have predicted he’ll be early. 

To be fair, Louis isn’t upset at all as he’s lead to a table. It’s in a private corner, just like Louis likes it, and there are no candles around, most likely because Harry’s going to be bringing his own. 

When the waitress returns to him with two Menus in his hand five minutes later, Louis opens his with an apology for the delay on the tip of tongue, only to be faced with a familiar address written in Harry’s handwriting. 

Instead of an apology, a confused sound escapes Louis’ throat. He looks up, only to see that the waiter’s gone, having left the other menu open on the table before Louis. On it, there’s a smiley with x’s for eyes, signed off with a simple H. 

“Oh you absolute fucking sap”, Louis mumbles to himself as he gets up and walks right back out of the door. 

The address Harry had written down was that of the outcrop they’d had their first date at, and when Louis arrives there, it’s just as desolate as he’d remembered, with the sun setting in the distance just like that first time, and a song playing too quietly to be identified. 

It’s the kind of a spot you’d propose to someone at, and the thought alone makes the butterflies in Louis’ tummy crazy. 

With each step shadowed by the crunch of the grovel under him, Louis slowly makes his way towards an intimate picnic set near the edge of the outcrop. Harry’s standing with his arms wide open, his grin so wide it makes Louis woozy. 

Once close enough, Louis identifies the song in a heartbeat. It’s their song; _Bloodflow_ by RITUAL. The one they’d had their first kiss to, on their first date on this very same spot. It had been one of Louis’ favorite songs for years, and that night, it stole the number one spot. 

“I hate you”, Louis announces before slamming onto Harry, wrapping his arms tightly around his familiar neck. He smells great tonight; unlike most days, tonight he’s wearing no cologne, and Louis can smell nothing but his _Harry_ as he buries his head in the crook of his neck. “I love you.” 

“Will you marry me?” comes Harry’s answer. It’s choked up, his voice failing him at the last word, but when Louis leans back to stare at him, Harry’s wide eyes tell him he hadn’t quite meant to say what he did. 

“Come again?” 

Harry chokes out a laugh at Louis’ grin, and rests his hands on Louis’ biceps. “Will you marry me?” he repeats. Louis swats him on the bum. 

“You’re supposed to kneel”, he giggles, his eyes watering. Harry looks stunning tonight. He’s been growing his hair out, and it reaches well beyond his shoulders now. His skin, though normally fair, has been breaking out for weeks now, and Louis hasn’t for the life of him been able to figure out why; he’s been taking great care of Harry, he always does. He’s even been drawing extra baths, and giving twice the amount of massages, and they’ve had sex like, fifteen times the past two weeks. 

And none of that had worked, because none of those were the answer to the question Harry’d been holding back. 

Watching his boyfriend kneel down before him would normally make Louis blurt out some awful joke about giving head, or have him quietly whisper Harry how pretty he looks, but for the first time in his life, Louis is _speechless_. 

“I know I kind of ruined the surprise”, Harry says, his elbows rested on his knee and a tiny, blue box carefully displayed on his palms, “But you have _no_ idea how long I’ve been dying to ask you, and then you walked out here looking like- looking like a- fuck, you’re so gorgeous, baby. And you’re wearing my favorite jeans, you _know_ they drive me crazy, Christ, you’re lucky I didn’t drop on my knees the second you were close enough and ask you with my mouth stuffed with your pretty dick-“ 

Louis snorts unattractively, reaching out to pet Harry’s cheek gently. He can say whatever he wants, but the most gorgeous man this earth has ever carried is definitely Harry Styles, with his bright green eyes, deep dimples, and golden soul, none of which the years passing by can ever steal from him. And all of which Louis loves most about him. 

“Let’s leave that part out when we re-tell this story to our kids years from now, yeah?” 

Louis nods, tears streaming down his face as he laughs wetly. “Yeah, Haz, wanna adopt like zillion kids with you.” 

Harry wipes tears on his shoulder messily, unable to use his occupied hands. “Yeah, Lou. Fuck, I love you so much.” 

“Love you the most.” 

“Love you more”, Harry insists, laughing at Louis’ snarl. “Louis William Tomlinson, will you marry me?” 

And if Harry’s smile was wide before, it grows impossibly when Louis sobs out, “ _Yes_ , fuck, yes. Yes, Harry, yes I’ll marry you. Yes, _please_ , fucking _finally_.” 

*** 

“I can’t wait until your newlywed fantasy is over and you become as boring as Niall and Barbara”, Liam says goodheartedly. 

“Oi, we’ve been married three months, that’s hardly newlywed”, Louis argues. 

Niall must know he’s fighting a losing battle when he shoots back with, “B and I have been married four years, Lou.” 

“I’ve loved Harry for eight years and seven months”, comes Louis’ immediate counter-argument. No one’s stupid enough to push it further. “And it’ll stop at that if he doesn’t show up soon. He was supposed to be here over an hour ago.” 

“The booth does look oddly empty with just you on that side”, Zayn purses his lips. 

“Everything’s oddly empty without Haz on my side”, Louis pouts, kicking Niall’s chin under the table. “I’m gonna call him, I miss him so much and if he’s gonna be late, then the least he can do is talk to me the whole way here.” 

He’s met with three grinning faces, none of them surprised by the turn of events; it’s not exactly uncommon for the two of them to be facetiming when apart for more than a few hours. Being clingy is what they do. 

“Go outside so you can hear something. Plus, when it’s you two, your calls are always a private matter.” 

“Private Matter”, Louis mumbles out of habit, looking to his right only to be reminded Harry’s not there; that he just made their inside joke alone. 

“You’re unbearable”, Niall groans, throwing his hands in the air. “And for whatever reason, I wish Harry’d been here to do that stupid fucking joke with you so I could make fun of your stupidly smitten faces. Fuck. Go call him and tell that idiot to hurry up. It’s not the same without him.” 

Louis’ phone vibrates on the table just then, making his three idiot best friends groan and laugh. It’s with the easy banner of _perfect timing_ and _not this creepy ass soulmate shit again_ and _speak of the Devil’s husband_ growing quieter as Louis exits the bar, answering the call as he steps outside. 

“Love, you’re now _officially_ running late. What have you got to say for yourself, mister?” he teases, unable to contain the fond and the instant ease that surrounds him; it’s not like he’d been _that_ worried, but Harry’s never usually this late and despite his text not ten minutes prior, Louis had already begun getting worried something had happened. 

“This is detective Hester from LAPD. I’m calling for Louis Tomlinson?” 

Louis’ blood runs cold when he chokes out, “This is he.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to know the ending of this fic, instead of leaving it open-ended, check part 2 of the series.
> 
> Oh, the much requested sequel to the [smut fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8059267) is in the works, as well as smut entirely unrelated to the smut series AND some longer fics, the destiny of two of which is still undecided.


End file.
